Anything that gets you moving and makes you sweat will help you lose weight. If you enjoy belly dancing, then it's a good option. Just make sure you are dancing hard enough to feel the exertion. A little sweat is a good thing.

Diet is the #1 key to losing weight. You can exercise until the cows come home but if you are taking in more than you are burning you will NOT lose weight. That said if it gets your heart rate up for a significant period of time you will burn a good amount of calories and condition your heart. You will also strengthen your core which is necessary for a fit body.

I tried belly dancing - an alleged beginner's program - I couldn't even keep up. I want to learn belly dancing since I would just like to know how to dance (and I bet it'd be fun to dance for a significant other ), but if you're overweight and aren't used to moving around a lot like I am, it could prove to be very difficult.

I can only suggest doing what I'm doing - research various beginner-level belly dance videos. I'm still looking for one that doesn't go really really fast since I can't keep up. And I've always been told that if you're sweating, you're exercising right. Of course I can just stand perfectly still out in the sun and sweat like a waterfall, so for some of us, standing around is apparently a workout.